West Bend wins 2023 Wisconsin Civics Games state finals
Four students from West Bend East and West High Schools have been named champions of the third annual Wisconsin Civics Games, presented by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation. They were among 62 students from 13 schools across the state who participated in the competition Friday at the state capitol in Madison, after advancing from a field of 166 during regional contests held virtually last month.
The winning team, advised by social studies teacher Mark Drake, included Owen Damkot (captain), Danny Zolp, Abby Lockrem and Myah Latour. They comprised one of two teams from their school to make it to the finals. Each will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship to a Wisconsin college or university of their choice.
Teams from Waunakee High School and River Falls High School took second and third place, respectively.
Gov. Tony Evers, who took photos with state finalists and autographed a Wisconsin Blue Book for one enthusiastic participant, welcomed students to the competition. He commended their participation and underscored the importance of their continued engagement in the democratic process.
“I hope through this experience you gain an immense, immense knowledge about government and the importance of civic engagement,” Evers said. “It means being able to hear others perspectives. And it means engaging with each other with humility and civility. And it means understanding that our differences and diversity makes us stronger, not weaker.”
Attorney General Josh Kaul, who also made welcoming remarks, echoed Evers’ sentiments and challenged students to keep it up.
“To make our system work, we need citizens to be engaged on the issues of the day — whatever those issues are,” Kaul said. “And by being part of [the Wisconsin Civics Games], you are building a toolbox of skills that you can use to be engaged in our process in the future. My hope is that you will view these games and the finals not as a finish line of the competition, but as the start of a long lifetime of engagement in civics and public service.”
The Wisconsin Civics Games was launched in 2018 by the WNA Foundation in an effort to fuel civic participation after data revealed municipalities across the state were having trouble filling local elected positions in their communities. Since then, the competition has continued to grow, with many alumni going on to answer the very challenges speakers posed Friday.
Joshua Cao, who won first place in the high school division of the WNA Foundation’s inaugural Civics Games Editorial Writing and was a member of the 2022 state championship team from Indian Trail High School and Academy, was among those in attendance on Friday. He now works as a messenger at the capitol while attending UW-Madison. Liam Reinicke, team captain of the inaugural Civics Games state championship team from Platteville High School, was there, too. Since competing, he’s interned for the U.S. Department of Justice and is now studying political science at UW-Madison. He heads to law school next year.
“This program is exactly what is needed right now to incentivize a foundation and a foundational understanding of civics,” UW System President Jay O. Rothman said of the games during welcoming remarks Friday. “Civics education and community engagement are bedrocks of our democracy. This goes to the viability of our democracy, and we applaud the leading efforts of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack, who also addressed participants, called the Civics Games “a conversation about democracy that benefits everyone.”
Speakers also included Eve Galanter, who helped spearhead the games and serves on the WNA Foundation Board, WNA Foundation President Scott Peterson and WNA Executive Director Beth Bennett.
Friday’s competition was judged by Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison; Hannah Dugan, Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge; Leah Steuer, director of outreach for the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Nicole Aimone, publisher and editor-in-chief of the (Spring Green) Valley Sentinel; and Taylor Scott, publisher and managing editor of the (Spring Green) Valley Sentinel. Volunteers from the League of Women Voters included Joy Cardin, Molly Carmichael and Melanie Ramey.
The Wisconsin Civics Games scholarships are funded in part by the generous support of the University of Wisconsin System. Additional support for the games has been provided by the Evjue Foundation, Wisconsin Counties Association, League of Wisconsin Municipalities, Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, WisconsinEye, Wisconsin Senate Scholars Program, Wisconsin News Tracker and Godfrey & Kahn. Individuals interested in contributing can do so at bit.ly/wiscivics.
